Southern Style: Fish & CHeese Grits with Bacon

Fried Fish

Use haddock, tilapia, roughy, or other similar fish for this tasty fried fish recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fish fillets, such as haddock, tilapia, cod, etc.
• oil for deep frying
• 1/2 cup flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Preparation:

Pour 1 inch of oil in skillet; heat to 375°. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Dip fish fillets into flour mixture. Fry fish for about 5 minutes on each side; remove to a platter.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.

• 5 cups water or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits*
• 1/2 (8-ounce) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

1. Bring 5 cups water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Cheddar cheese and remaining ingredients until cheese is melted and mixture is blended. Serve immediately.

Bacon Fried and sprinkled over the top.

KITCHEN 101- EGGS

Tomato coconut shrimp curry

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup coconut full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled & devained
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
squeeze of lime, plus slices for serving
steamed basmati rice for serving

Next, in a small bowl, measure out your dry spices (coriander, cumin, tumeric, brown mustard seeds, cinnamon and cayenne) so you have them ready to go.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, a few pinches of salt, and cook, stirring, until translucent and lightly browned (about 3 minutes). Add garlic, ginger, and dry spices. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk and water. Bring to a bubbling simmer and then reduce heat. Simmer on low heat, stirring for about 3-5 more minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken, but not burn.

Add shrimp and peas. Continue to cook on low heat until shrimp is cooked and peas are warmed through.

Remove from heat, add a squeeze of lime juice, and stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with basmati rice, cilantro yogurt, and extra lime wedges

cilantro yogurt:heaping 1/2 cup plain yogurt (icelandic, greek, vegan… whatever you like)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons agave or honey
1 teaspoon minced onion (or onion powder)
1/2 medium or large clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt, to taste

 In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except a bit of the cilantro and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add reserved cilantro on top for garnish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Healthy Choices: Breakfast

 Eating a healthy breakfast while eating out.

Healthy Choice: Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

• Cook time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb of very fresh fish fillets - Halibut or Tilapia
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

• 1 doz corn tortillas
• Vegetable oil or butter
• 1 ripe Avocado
• Cabbage (or iceberg lettuce)
• Cider vinegar
• Salt

METHOD

 Prepare the cabbage and avocado. Thinly slice cabbage. Put in a small serving bowl. Sprinkle with cider vinegar (about a Tbsp) and salt (about a tsp). Mix in the vinegar and salt. Peel avocado and remove seed. Chop and reserve for later.

Heat the tortillas.  One way to easily soften and heat a tortilla to simply heat it in the microwave for 20-25 seconds on high heat, on top of a napkin or paper towel to absorb the moisture that is released. We often will heat two tortillas at once in the microwave, heating them for a total of 40 seconds.

Another way is to heat a well seasoned (black) large cast iron skillet to medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spread a half a teaspoon of butter on one side of one tortilla. Place tortilla in the pan (butter side down if you are using butter). As the tortilla sizzles, flip the tortilla with a spatula so that the other side gets some of the oil or butter from the pan. Continue to flip every 10-30 seconds until the tortillas begins to develop air pockets, about a minute. If the pan begins to smoke, lower the temperature. You can skip the butter or oil if you wish and just heat the tortillas up on the skillet without them. We have found that the flavor of packaged tortillas benefits from heating them with a bit of oil.

Remove the tortilla from the pan and place it folded on a plate. If the pan is large enough you can prepare two or more tortillas at once. Continue until all the tortillas (estimate 3 per person) are cooked. Set aside.

 Cook the fish. Soak the fish fillets in cold water for at least one minute. Pat dry with a paper towel. Heat a large stick-free skillet to medium high heat. Add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to the skillet. Place fish on skillet. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillets. A thin fillet may take only one minute on each side to cook. A thicker fillet may take a couple of minutes. Fish should be still barely translucent when cooked. Break off a piece and test if you are not sure. Do not overcook the fish. Remove from pan when done to a separate plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Yield: Serves four.

Healthy CHoice: THE NEW Quick & Light SHRIMP COCKTAIL

Your favorite cocktail sauce and a perfectly cooked cooled shrimp...

Eating Healthy: Tuna

Tuna with tomatoes and chopped green onions.

Canned tuna rules with 200 calories, 40 grams of lean protein and 5 grams of healthy fats. You can’t beat it!